Interview with our Inspiring Principal

Ms. Meenakshi Dahiya started her career in education in a nursery as an Early Years educator. In the following year, she had the privilege to work with the start-up team as the Founder Supervisor of their new branch. She joined GEMS at The Winchester School, Jebel Ali in 2005 as an Early Years educator and in her 21 years of experience in the educational field, she has been primarily at The Winchester School, Jebel Ali for 17 years with the last 15 years in leadership. Ms. Meenakshi is an exceptional Principal and Leader, first as Head of Foundation Stage, then Head of Primary, Vice Principal before finally being appointed Principal/CEO of GEMS Winchester School, Jebel Ali in 2016. She has continually grown and developed comprehensively as an outstanding leader, responsible for significant and continuous school improvement both within her own school as well as across the GEMS network. A firm believer in the growth mindset, Ms. Meenakshi encourages and inspires all students to be the best that they possibly can while placing the GEMS Core Values at the core of all that they do.

In this exclusive interview to WIN Times, conducted by the Managing Editor, Mir Faraz, Year 8, Ms. Meenakshi shares words of wisdom and advice for the Winchester Family.

I am so impressed by everyone. Technology wise, our students are very proficient, and through the pandemic, our teachers learned quickly and diligently found ways to engage with everyone. The learning curve was huge and very impressive. Usually adults are sensitive about their learning and exposure to the outside world, but our teachers learned quickly with great dedication. Students used to be able to enjoy school with their friends, but during distance learning it was difficult for students to interact with each other. But they adapted, and we’ve evolved profoundly since then.

Our motto of the Growth Mindset makes sure that we never give up and we always make the extra effort to reach out to all needs. We get various feedback, a mix of positive suggestions for us to improve, and a lot of time is spent trying to make everything smooth and we continuously keep getting better. We’ve worked diligently, and continue to do so, with what I like to call the 4 C’s – care, commitment, compassion, and collaboration.

It is vital for all 21st century learners to be innovators, good communicators, good listeners, as well as problem-solvers. No matter what, if you can communicate efficiently, you can do anything. Also, being an avid reader and keeping yourself updated with the happenings around the world, plus thinking creatively and being tech-savvy, is extremely important, If you have good networks, you can reach out to anywhere in the world. And therefore, relationships and networking are important.

We never give up, we have the grit to always strive to do better and better. We continue to strive for excellence, and we have high aspirations. We are a reflective school and concentrate on our strengths and think about how to improve, and we always keep up with the world around.

I am very proud and confident of the children we have. I strongly believe our biggest inspiration is our students. Our students are diverse and talented and they will continue to motivate us to put in our best efforts to take the school from strength to strength.

2 decades is a very gratifying journey. The years have been full of dedication, achievements, and gratitude. I’ve been a part of Winchester since almost the beginning, and it has been a wonderful journey. I’m grateful to my students and staff, and that sense of gratefulness has kept Winchester growing to create an inclusive and engaging learning environment. Additionally, I think that Winchester has the best code, WIN, because in every situation we always win.

Always believe in yourself, and at the same time, always give your best. We will always have many circumstances and be in many situations that might not be what we wanted. If you believe in yourself, you can achieve anything. Think about what you can do, and not about what others can do or what others have, and that will take you a long way. If you have the grit and determination, nobody can stop you.